Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went into the IPL 2026 mini-auction with the biggest budget of ₹64.3 crore. They had released nine players and traded Mayank Markande to Mumbai Indians, freeing up plenty of funds. By releasing two all-rounders, Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell, KKR freed ₹35.75 crore. The team retained 12 players ahead of the auction and after finishing last in IPL 2025, are eager to make a strong comeback.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led side made a big splash by signing Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for ₹25.20 crore, the most expensive player in the auction. They also strengthened their squad with Matheesha Pathirana and Finn Allen.
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KKR’s Journey: A Look Back at Their IPL History
KKR, three-time IPL champions will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2025 season. Over the years, KKR’s journey can be split into three phases: the ‘Pre-Gautam Gambhir Era,’ the ‘Gautam Gambhir Era,’ and the ‘Post-Gautam Gambhir Era.’
From 2008 to 2010, the ‘Pre-Gautam Gambhir Era’ was rough for KKR. Despite having star players like Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Sourav Ganguly, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in the first three seasons. Things started to change when Gautam Gambhir joined in 2011. Under his leadership, KKR reached the playoffs and went on to win their first IPL title in 2012. However, they could not defend the title the next year and were knocked out early.
From 2014 to 2019, KKR made a strong comeback under Gambhir winning their second IPL title in 2014 and becoming only the second team to win twice after Chennai Super Kings. The team stayed competitive and made the playoffs often. In 2018, Gambhir left the team and Dinesh Karthik became captain leading KKR till 2020. Although they started well, the team struggled to maintain consistency in the next seasons.
From 2020 to 2025, KKR saw changes in leadership again. Dinesh Karthik stepped down mid-season in 2020 and Eoin Morgan took over. Venkatesh Iyer’s rise as a key leader helped the team reach the IPL final in 2021 after a poor start. The next couple of seasons were mixed, but in 2024, KKR bounced back to win the final against SRH. After a below-par performance in 2025, the team is now focused on returning to winning ways in IPL 2026.
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KKR Retained / Traded Players (IPL 2026)
| No. | Player | Role/Type | Status | Price (₹ Cr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajinkya Rahane | Batter (c) | Retained | 1.50 |
| 2 | Rinku Singh | Batter | Retained | 13.00 |
| 3 | Angkrish Raghuvanshi | Batter | Retained | 3.00 |
| 4 | Manish Pandey | Batter | Retained | 0.75 |
| 5 | Ramandeep Singh | All‑rounder | Retained | 4.00 |
| 6 | Anukul Roy | All‑rounder | Retained | 0.40 |
| 7 | Sunil Narine | All‑rounder (o/s) | Retained | 12.00 |
| 8 | Varun Chakravarthy | Spinner | Retained | 12.00 |
| 9 | Harshit Rana | Fast bowler | Retained | 4.00 |
| 10 | Vaibhav Arora | Fast bowler | Retained | 1.80 |
| 11 | Umran Malik | Fast bowler | Retained | 0.75 |
| 12 | Rovman Powell | Batter (o/s) | Retained | 1.50 |
DC Auction Buys (IPL 2026 Mini Auction)
| No. | Player | Role/Type | Status | Price (₹ Cr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameron Green | Batter (o/s) | Bought | 25.20 |
| 2 | Matheesha Pathirana | Fast bowler (o/s) | Bought | 18.00 |
| 3 | Mustafizur Rahman | Fast bowler (o/s) | Bought | 9.20 |
| 4 | Tejasvi Dahiya | Batter | Bought | 3.00 |
| 5 | Rachin Ravindra | All‑rounder | Bought | 2.00 |
| 6 | Finn Allen | Batter | Bought | 2.00 |
| 7 | Tim Seifert | Batter | Bought | 1.50 |
| 8 | Akash Deep | Fast bowler | Bought | 1.00 |
| 9 | Rahul Tripathi | Batter | Bought | 0.75 |
| 10 | Sarthak Ranjan | All‑rounder | Bought | 0.30 |
| 11 | Daksh Kamra | All‑rounder | Bought | 0.30 |
| 12 | Prashant Solanki | Fast bowler | Bought | 0.30 |
| 13 | Kartik Tyagi | Fast bowler | Bought | 0.30 |
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad for IPL 2026
Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman, Rachin Ravindra, Umran Malik, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi Singh, Prashant Solanki, Daksh Kamra, Sarthak Ranjan, Akash Deep, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy, Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
Kolkata Knight Riders Possible Playing XI
Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Tejasvi Singh (wk), Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Matheesha Pathirana, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Impact Player: Vaibhav Arora
Final Squad Size, Slots & Remaining Purse
- Total squad size: 25 players (12 retained + 13 bought).
- Overseas players: 8 (Narine, Green, Pathirana, Mustafizur, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Rovman Powell, Tim Seifert).
- Slots strength: All 25 slots filled (0 slots remaining).
- Remaining purse: 0.45Cr
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